Isenreik
History Geography Isenreik is in Central and Eastern Tanais, with Clearcrest bordering to the south, Gallitrea and the Princedoms to the west, Estavgorod in the north and the Desolate Wastes in the east. It is one of the largest nations in Tanais. Elevation ranges from the World's End Mountains to the shores of the Shivering Sea in the northwest. The forested uplands of central Isenreik and the lowlands of northern and eastern Isenreik are traversed by various major rivers and large lakes. Glaciers are found in the alpine regions. Most of Isenreik is covered in forests and woodlands, with a substantial amount of arable land in northern and eastern Isenreik and great mountain ranges in the east and south and great mountains found in its heart. Government The Emperor is head-of-state of the Empire and commander-in-chief of the most powerful army in Tanais. However, most of the Empire's power is held by the Elector Counts, of which the Emperor is one. Those Elector Counts become most important in the case of the Emperor's death, in which case elections with 13 electors, 9 of which are the Elector counts, are being held. The candidate with the most votes becomes the next Emperor for life. The heir of the deceased Emperor is an obvious candidate; under normal circumstances he will be supported by the friends and allies of his predecessor. Therefore a dynastic succession is a strong possibility. However the heir may lose the election due to personal enmities or because of personal failings. The Electors have de facto also the power to depose of an Emperor, although that happened only twice in history, and in one case the Emperor in question refused to abdicate and a civil war ensued. Power In effect, the Emperor is largely the leader of the Elector Counts who have to answer to him if summoned, yet the Emperor does not directly control them and their states and they retain a high-degree of sovereignty. Many matters are debated between the Emperor and the Counts on an equal standing and then agreed upon, and not always as the Emperor wants. The Emperor's power is severely limited by the inability of enforcing his edicts within the semi-independent provinces. Far from the capital and inside their own provinces, the Elector Counts rule and they can choose to largely ignore his edicts and decrees. Furthermore The Empire is not a centralised state, but a feudal confederacy. Only the capital and its surrounding protectorate is directly controlled by the Emperor. The Emperor does not control the entire military of the Empire and he does not receive all, or even the majority, of taxes. His taxes and resources are collected from the capital and his own personal treasury will pay the military units under his direct control and the capital. However, each Elector Count has to either send troops or the equivalent in money and supplies to the Emperor. These soldiers march under the banner of the Emperor and are often the single largest army in the Empire. Each of the Elector Counts collects taxes from his respective province and will spend his wealth as he sees fit. He will recruit and pay his own provincial army, who is far more loyal to its local ruler. Depending upon the wealth of the province, a wealthy Elector Count may even afford and recruit a larger army than the Emperor. A wise Emperor will realise that trying to subdue the Elector Counts through threats and/or force is a very dangerous errand, which all too easily ends up in open rebellion and civil war. Gaining their respect and loyalty through example and fair leadership tends to be the best policy. List of Emperors Category:Tanais Category:History Category:Nation Category:Nation/Human Category:Monarchy Category:Lore